After 50 years and 3 million outboards, Suzuki release their biggest one yet
Just a couple of months ago, in sunny Florida, Suzuki announced the arrival of its new DF350A outboard with a launch fandango to rival a Hollywood movie premiere. The 350HP V6 four-stroke is the largest, most powerful engine the Suzuki tech-heads have ever built and they’re so damn proud of it, they’ve tagged it the “Ultimate Outboard”. The Captain responded by sending his most trustworthy seadogs to Miami to bring back the Suzuki scuttlebutt.
After a few rum-induced detours, The Captain’s crew returned with the word. Nothing smelled fishy in the Suzuki lab. This was indeed an outboard of repute. Its 4.4-litre engine has the highest ever compression ratio for a production outboard and the dual fuel injection, cool-air intake and tougher pistons mean no engine knock. Suzuki’s lean burn control technology translates to excellent fuel economy while cruising and when at idle it’s quieter than a Prius.
But the big news is the Suzuki’s dual-prop system with contra-rotating propellers. The six blades reduce torque steer improving stability, as well as awesome acceleration. There’s plenty of traction in reverse, too. Suzuki’s general manager Global Marine, Yasuharu Osawa, said at the launch, “The ultimate outboard motor is ready to deliver a ‘wow’ to skippers looking for power to handle bigger boats.” You’ve been warned.
More info at globalsuzuki.com
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